Silence (Soul Evans X Reader)
by KhajiitSicario
Summary: This was originally uploaded to my DeviantArt account, but I wanted to add it here as well. There are mature themes, most of which include domestic abuse, so it is recommended that you don't read this story if that triggers you. Characters are not mine, I only own the story. Feel free to visit the official tumblr for updates and fanart /blog/silence-fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

*Warning: The following is a work of Complete fiction, it's just the product of my over-active imagination and fears. However, it includes domestic violence, and anyone who has or is suffering from the same thing should refrain from reading it. It is also encouraged that, if you are a victim of domestic violence, you contact the police, or someone to help you right away. YOU ARE NOT ALONE, AND PEOPLE WILL HELP YOU!*

I fell back, and managed to hold back a cry as my elbow hit the floor, splitting the skin. The tears that threatened would only make my punishment worse, so I held them back as well as I could as he struck another blow, this one to my side, causing me to turn, leaving my stomach and back open. Another blow hit my ribs, and I struggled to breathe as pain spread to my gut, a deep ache I would feel for days afterword. A hand embedded itself in my hair, and I was being dragged across the floor. After being dragged down the hall, he let go, and I heard keys, a lock turn, and a door open. He grabbed my arm and threw me into the room. The door shut, the tumblers switched, and footsteps retreated down the hall. I had peace once more.

I heard a broken sigh, and realized that it was me. I crawled over to my bathroom, which was attached to my dorm room, and made my way to the sink. Most weapons had first aid kits under their sinks or beds in case of attacks. Fortunately for them, they only had to worry about attacks from people hoping to become Kishins. I had to worry about attacks from my partner.

He wasn't always like this, especially when we first met. He was a sweet boy, awkwardly shy for his age, and had a face that many boys longed for. No one knew his name, not even the teachers, they just called him whatever they wanted. Because he was shy, and different, however, no one really noticed him. He hung around the back of the crescent room, head down and staring into a book or a drawing, or looking dazed at the ceiling, ear buds playing music we could only hear in a hum. A few girls seemed wary of him, but I always attributed that to his aloofness, and his shy nature. I never knew that a monster could lurk beneath such a gentle façade.

Then one day, I finally got the courage to speak to him. He was shy at first, speaking in short, quick sentences, but he eventually warmed up to me. We started hanging out, after school for study sessions, or in a park goofing around. We got along so well, we decided to be partners. Not long after that, he asked me out, and we'd been dating ever since. I even learned his name.

Things had begun to change inside him, though it took me a bit to see it. He became distant, even a bit stand-off-ish, and I was sure he was going to break-up with me, and leave me as his partner. I grew scared, and did whatever I could to make him happy: cooking, cleaning, finishing his homework; all just to keep him with me. I see now how foolish I was.

He stayed, but he began to treat me like dirt. In his mind, I was an object, a toy, one that he could use and just throw away, though I didn't see it until recently. I had always managed to find a way to remain useful, save for one way in particular. I planned to wait, and I just couldn't lose a part of myself to him just to have him leave me as soon as it was over.

The violence began about a year ago. We had been "dating", though I shudder now to think of it as such, for quite some time, and I was beginning to think that he was going back to how he was when I met him. He was still distant, and, in some ways, cruel, but was starting to become his timid self again. I started to smile more, and become more cheerful, thinking we can get back to how we began, and how wonderful it would be.

Then, one day, he came home from school, relaxed and quiet. I got home before him, so I could start dinner, and clean up a bit. I heard him come in, and rustle through his bag. I called out a greeting, telling him I was in the kitchen. I was washing vegetables at the time. I heard his bag hit the floor, and his calm, even footsteps come my way. He entered the kitchen, still calm, and walked up behind me. I felt his hand on my shoulder, gently pulling as if to get me to turn around, and, smiling, I turned to face him.

I was on the ground in less than a second, pain exploding through the left side of my face. He stood over me, his face a blank mask, as I tried to comprehend what just happened. Before it really had a chance to register, he had grabbed my arm and, pulling me to my feet, slammed a fist into my stomach. I doubled over, and he grabbed my hair, yanking on it to show my face. With slight smirk, he held up a paper, one I vaguely recognized as a homework sheet I did for him not that long ago. It was marked with a large D- on the top in red. He threw the paper to the ground and shoved my head down after it, causing my face to hit the hard wood floors. With that, he walked to the refrigerator, pulled out a soda, walked into his room, and shut the door. I was on the floor, disoriented, and managed to find my way back to the sink. I was frightened, and didn't want to give him another excuse to beat me.

Soon, he didn't even have real reasons to beat me, anymore, and did it whenever he felt it was needed, which, unfortunately for me, was often. He managed to find a way to hurt me without leaving much of a mark, and he favored it, as it tended to hurt the most. I believe he did it to make himself feel powerful, since he was always ignored, and he took his frustrations out on me. He forbade me from ever calling him by his real name. I vowed then that he was to be known as "He" or "Him", from here on out.

I never told anyone about that day, and the days that followed. People had all sorts of guesses, of course, especially when I started to come to school with bruises, and the occasional cut. I have everyone convinced, at the moment, that I am I giant klutz. I fell down the stairs, I tripped on the way to school, I used them all, except for the excuses like, "I walked into a door", anyone could see through that.

I didn't really have to try too hard to keep up the klutz act in school. He occasionally gave me a mild concussion, and he forced me to go to school the next day, so it was really just a matter of me trying to stay upright most of the day. Allow myself to stumble a bit, misstep on the stairs; the act was pretty simple after a while. I was ignored, just as he was, and I preferred it that way. He began to leave me alone as well, telling me that no one would want me, and that I should be left alone. That is, unless I misbehaved.

This one started like any other day. Go to my classes, stumble around a bit in the halls, and write a list of things to do when I got home. I still had laundry to finish, dishes to do, and twice the homework of the other students. Of course, in this Academy, nothing stays "normal" forever.

I was on my way through the halls. The bell had rung, and I was a few minutes late to my class. At this point, I didn't care. I almost thought that the teachers knew what was going on, and simply refused to help. No matter. I was on my way up the stairs when I felt my foot slide out from underneath me. I didn't even bother yelling, I just clutched my school materials and braced for the painful impact.

It never came. I slowly opened my eyes to find myself staring at the ceiling. I carefully turned my head to see a rather relaxed pair of red eyes staring at me, and I realized I was being held. My first thought was 'Why couldn't I feel the soft landing?' My second thought was, 'OH MY GOD, _HE'S_ GOING TO KILL ME IF HE SEE'S ME!'

"Hey, are you alright? That could have been a nasty fall. People really need to pick up their papers when they drop them, it's a death trap." His words drifted into my panicked thoughts. I quickly leaned forward, placing my feet firmly on the steps in front of me, and turned to face the red-eyed boy. He had messy silver-white hair, and a head band sitting loosely on his forehead with a strange emblem and the word "Soul" written on it. At the moment, he looked almost bored as he gazed at me, and I suddenly felt a little self-conscious about my looks. I knew my hair would be a mess, and my clothes would be a bit disheveled, but my main concern was if the bruises on my arm were showing.

"I-I'm fine. Just a l-little shaken, I g-guess," I managed to reply, my fear resurfacing in an instant.

"What are you doing out here, anyway? Class's already started," he asked leaning on the railing.

"I'm on my way to the crescent room; I just ran into some… complications in the hall."

"That's funny; I'm on my way there too. Guess I can use you as a late pass," He said, and started to walk up the stairs, stopping on my step. "Hey, you don't mind me embellishing the story a bit, do you?"

I just shook my head. "No I don't mind, but I really have to-"

"Hey, (Y/N), there you are!" My blood ran cold. I tried to keep the fear from showing, and it must have worked, because the boy looked at me with his head slightly tilted, and a smirk, like he was resisting the urge to chuckle. I must have looked surprised, at least. I slowly turned around, trying a small smile as I did.

"Professor Stein asked me to come get you." He bounced down the steps, and stopped one step above mine. This did not help the fact that I was shorter than him, and I had to look up in order to see his face. He wore a fake smile, and had his eyes mostly shut, most likely to hide the emotions inside. "And who's this?"

"Soul Evans," the boy said, and nodded in greeting. "It's nice to meet you. And you are?"

He did his fake smile again. "That depends. Who's your main teacher?"

Soul looked confused. "Stein."

"Then you can call me Aaron. I'm (Y/N)'s partner"

Soul nodded. "Alright, then, Aaron it is."

"Soul just saved me from falling down the stairs. I guess I slipped on a piece of paper someone left there," I said, laughing nervously and rubbing the back on my neck.

"Yup, and I just found out that we're going to the same class, so I'm going to make sure she doesn't trip over a penny or something on the way there. It would be uncool of me if I didn't."

"You don't have to do that," I said, waving my arms in front of me. "I can get there on my own."

"Its fine, I'm going that way, anyway."

He started walking, and, realizing I was defeated; I started a few steps behind. "Aaron" was walking next to me, a steely gaze fixed at Soul. Every once in a while, he'd look at me, and the look in his eyes told me that I shouldn't go home, even though I had nowhere else to go. I didn't understand my sudden fear. I knew that I had done nothing wrong, and I was determined to show it. I stood straight, looked directly ahead, my eyes focused on a distant point down the hall, and quickened my pace ever so slightly.

Before long, we were at the Crescent Room. We crept into the room as quietly as possible, trying not to disturb the teacher, who at this moment was attempting to dissect another helpless creature. This one seemed like some sort of pig-like animal, covered in black and white colored fur, its legs strapped down, and a terrified look on its face. _Now that I think about it, I believe it was some sort of Tapir…._ Professor Stein had the scalpel poised above it, gesturing to the rest of the class where to make the incision, in order to avoid making the animal bleed to death. It was at this point that he realized we had come in the room.

"Ms. (y/n), Mr. Evans, how nice of you to finally join us." He said, making everyone in the class look at us. I started to panic, and looked at my sleeves and brushed my hair in front of my shoulders. Still down. My hair still covered my neck. I glanced at Soul. He was still calm and relaxed, as if this happened every day. Maybe it did, and I just didn't pay attention until now. I forced myself to relax, and began making my way to my seat.

"Where are you going, Ms. (y/n)? I was just going to ask you to be my assistant during this operation."

My heart stopped, and I froze where I stood. Turning, I started to decline.

"Nonsense, you can do it. Get down here and stand next to me."

I stood for a moment more, then made my way down the three steps I managed to climb before he called me. I made my way to his desk, and stood as far from him as possible. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have that, today.

"Now, now, come on, stand next to me. Wait, first, go over and wash your hands, they're going to have to be spotless for this." He brushed his white-grey hair out of his face and gestured to a sink on the wall near the cascading levels of seats. I hurried over as quickly as I could, and carefully washed my hands, and partway up my arms. I hoped that, if they didn't look too closely, they wouldn't be able to see the oddly shaped bruises on my arm.

I pulled my sleeves back down and fast-walked back to the table. Luckily, no one seemed to really be paying any attention to the odd girl tugging on her sleeves in the front of the room. They were all having side conversations, or looking intently at the scarred professor, who was waiting for me to finish up.

"You can hand me tools, and help out here and there. For now, hand me the surgical marker; I need to redraw these lines."

I did everything he asked, even holding open part of the poor animal's side as Stein looked for a specific organ, all the while dreading the job, and trying to avoid the lolling eye of the sedated Tapir.

Soon, the bell chimed, and I ran to the sink, washing my hands until they were nearly raw, then I carefully dried them, and picked up my things. It was the end of the day, and I knew I had to get home to start dinner and our homework. I put my things in my bag and walked out the door, making my way to the stairs in front of the Academy.

"Hey, wait up." I turned and saw… Soul, was it? He was walking towards me with a small smile on his face. I quickly looked around, seeing if "Aaron" was around, or if Soul was looking for someone else. There was no one else around. He caught up, and smiled a bit wider.

"Don't tell me you forgot? I told you, I'm going to make sure you don't fall down the stairs, at least for today."

I shook my head and hands frantically, trying to get him to understand. "That's really not necessary; I can make it just fine."

He raised his eyebrow at me. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you look a little scared to me."

I forced my face to turn neutral and, very calmly, replied, "I have no idea what you're talking about. I just see no need for you to take time out of your day to follow me and make sure I don't hurt myself. Everyone in this school knows I'm a klutz, but I never hurt myself enough to need help, so it's not necessary for you to follow me."

I regretted my words, but I couldn't just tell him. No matter how much I wanted this stranger to be able to help me, I knew it would be best for the both of us if he stayed out of it.

I don't think he really believed me, but he seemed a bit more willing to let it go. "Well, you're at least stuck with me for the walk down the stairs; I was going to head down anyway when I remembered what I said earlier." His red eyes were insistent, and I knew he wouldn't let this go, so I agreed to the walk down the stairs.

It was relatively quiet on the walk down, the only noises coming from the people below, our footsteps, and the occasional comment coming from Soul. I looked at the steps in front of me the entire time, watching for paper and avoiding any possible eye contact. I began to count the number of steps that were not perfectly symmetrical with their opposite side, out of pure boredom. When I got to the bottom of the steps, I had counted eight. I shifted my bag back onto my shoulder, and turned to face him.

"Thanks for walking me down, I guess…" I said, trailing off.

"It's no problem. If you need someone to walk with you again, just ask," he replied, smiling a grin that proudly displayed pointed teeth. I jumped slightly at this, but recovered quickly enough.

"Thanks for the offer, but I probably won't need it." I said smiling a little.

"Well, then, if you ever want to hang, you know where I'll be." With that, he left in the opposite direction I was heading in.

 _Where would he be? The stairway? The halls? The entryway to the school?_ I blew my hair out of my face. _That's helpful._ I decided to forget about the white-haired boy and get home as quickly as I could. I rushed to the apartment, climbing the stairs to get to the door. Inside, I set my bag down and took off my coat. I hung my things up, and did a light jog to the kitchen. I pulled the supplies out to make dinner, washing the vegetables, and, to my despair, thinking about the boy that helped me on the stairs. I was reaching into the freezer to get the meat I needed when a hand grasped my wrist. I turned and saw Him. I was so focused on my thoughts that I didn't hear him come in. I looked at his face and gasped. He wore a merciless grin, and it was then that I realized exactly how bad of an idea it was to come home, just as his hand rose to strike a blow.

Chapter 2

I Sighed again as I began to apply the anti-biotic and bandages. Thinking about what got me here wasn't going to make this any better. I knew why he did this to me; I just didn't understand his reasoning. I hadn't told Soul anything; I didn't act too friendly; I even got him to leave me alone. I guess he just did it to remind me not to get too brave, or to try to leave him. I couldn't even if I tried, the leash was too tight. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't. He'd just find me again; or I'd grow so paranoid that he would, I'd lose my mind. He had me right where he wanted me, and he knew it.

I winced as I tightened the bandages around my ribs. He is normally more careful than this, I noted as I looked at my split elbow and bruised arms. I didn't need to look to know I had bruises appearing on my side and ribs. I'd have to cover them with makeup for gym the next day. The girls wouldn't ask questions; they could care less what happened to me; Sid might, though, if he saw them. He knew I didn't go on assignments that often; and, when I did, I didn't really come back with any more bruises than I had started with. He's the one teacher that's willing to question the "I'm just clumsy" theory, so I knew I had to be careful around him.

I pulled my shirt back down to cover the bandages, and pulled myself up to look in the mirror. A bruise was starting to form on my right cheekbone, and I had a split lip, but it was nothing I hadn't seen before. I limped into my bedroom and collapsed on my bed, nearly crying out when pain shot through my ribs. I curled into a ball and silently sobbed over the way things used to be between us, the way they are now, the pain coursing through my body, and, shockingly, the kindness shown to me by a boy that hadn't even known my name.

I must have drifted off, because I woke up the next morning to feel my arm being forcefully grabbed, and myself being yanked off the bed. I stumbled, still partially asleep, but stood, and forced my eyes open. He stood in front of me, calm and collected, his eyes scanning me, assessing the damages. By now, I was fully awake, fear making me feel cold and shocking me to my bones. I tried to keep a straight face, and didn't look him in the eye. He circled me once, looking up and down, before stopping in front of me. Without speaking a word, he turned and left, leaving me to wonder why he was here. I heard the door front door slam shut, and I sighed in relief, not realising I had been holding my breath.

I limped over to the closet, feeling each of the bruises and cuts "Aaron" left as I stepped. Wincing, I opened the door and pulled out a (f/c) shirt and (2/f/c) pants, looking them up and down, deciding whether or not to wear them. Knowing that he hated the color (f/c), I decided instead on a long sleeved (l/f/c) shirt with plain light-blue jeans.

'At least no one will notice me in this...' I thought, carefully pulling on each article of clothing, cringing at each bolt of pain that shot through my body. Once I managed to accomplish this twenty minutes later, I limped into the kitchen to grab a yogart from the fridge, then carefully made my way out the door, grabbing my bag as I left.

By the time I got to the school, class had already started, so I sat outside the door to the crescent room, trying to breathe the pain away while listening to the lecture through the door. A few people stopped when they saw me, one of them even asked if I needed help. I politely declined, and he walked away, shrugging. I took another deep breath, relaxing against the wall, shuddering slightly in pain. I closed my eyes, praying for it to stop, or, at least, for the bell to ring. The pain slowly dulled to a throbbing, aching pain, and I sighed in relief, becoming drowsy almost instantly. I fought against the urge to sleep, knowing that the bell would ring soon, and I would have to get up, but it seemed to have fought back, as everything grew blurry, and, as I felt my head lightly knock against the wall, everything turned black.

((Magical time skip of the happy dreams you had while you were out see, I'm not that mean to you!))

I slowly came back, the remnants of a good dream fading much too quickly. Everything was fuzzy, I could hear sounds, but couldn't make out if they were voices, or footsteps, or just the air moving. Sadly, while some of my senses were slow to come back, my sense of pain seemed to hit me like a bullet train. I lightly groaned, feeling the pain come back, though duller than before. I tried to turn into my side, but I felt something lightly holding me back by my shoulder, and I cringed slightly at the pain it brought. I thought I heard a voice, thought it was much to fuzzy to make out words or even the gender of the person speaking.

I felt a pain in my ribs again, I think someone poked them, and the sounds started to become clearer. I could make out four different voices, at least one of them belonged to a girl. I started to see pink, which I believe was the light on the other side of my eyelids. I tried to crack them open, but the sudden brightness burned, and I slammed them shut. I could make out the voices better, and made out two males and two females. One of the females sounded like Nygus, and another sounded extremely familiar. I only vaguely recognised the other two.

After a another moment, I attempted to open my eyes again. This time only gave me a very slight headache, and I blinked, trying to get used to the cream colored walls. I was immediately aware that I wasn't in my room, and that this wasn't my bed. Looking around, I indeed saw Nygus and, standing next to him, Soul. I felt confused, then bad, as I failed to recognise his voice. Looking at the end of my bed, I saw a girl with blonde pigtails nose deep in a book before I heard a voice to my left.

"(Y/n)! Thank god you're alright!" My blood ran cold, and I knew why that voice sounded extremely familiar. Looking over, I saw him.

"I was so worried when they called me down, what happened?" He asked, mock concern lacing his voice and gracing his facial expression.

I furrowed my eyebrows. " I was tired and late, so I sat outside listening to the lecture. I guess I must have dosed off," I said, trying to make it sound nonchalant. " I don't know how I ended up here, though."

The blonde girl looked up, then, revealing green eyes. "That would be thanks to Soul, here." She stood up and held out her hand, allowing me to see her outfit: a black jacket over a white dress shirt with a striped tie. On bottom, a plaid skirt that went about mid-thigh. I couldn't see her shoes. "Hi, I'm Maka, Soul's Meister. You're (y/n), right?" she asked, giving me a kind smile.

After a moment, I nodded, then looked at Soul, raising one of my eyebrows. He shrugged. "When the bell rang, Maka here almost forgot a textbook, and we were late leaving. Because of that, we were at the end of the mob, " he smiled. "Everyone was swerving once they got out the door, so I got out and saw you sitting there. I tried to say hi, but you didn't answer, so I looked, and you seemed to be asleep. I tried waking you up by shaking your shoulder, but you just kinda cringed, and shifted." He shrugged again. "I couldn't just leave you there with your head hangin' like that, it would Have killed your neck, and that'd be seriously uncool. So, I picked you up and carried you here so you could rest in peace. Once I got you in here, I was gunna leave, but when I put you on the bed, you yelled, like, really loud, and sounded like you were in pain, so Nygus checked you out, and was asking me questions on what happened."

With those words, My blood froze solid in my veins. Soul, oblivious as he is sometimes, continued talking. "Along with an impressive number of bruises, you have two ribs broken, one on each side." He looked at me. "What did you do to get that beat up? Insult symmetry in front of Kid?"

I managed a nervous smile. "I'm just clumsy, I guess." He didn't seem like he believed it, but he let it go. "Well, whatever it was, it got you good. Good news, is, you don't have to participate in gym for a while, so that's a plus," he said, chuckling.

"Right, lucky..." I did a small laugh, and went quiet. "Aaron" began to discuss care with Nygus, and Soul began talking to Maka, so I was free to sink back into my pillow, wincing for a moment, and look at the ceiling.

I took this moment to assess what I knew.

-I knew that Nygus wouldn't let me stay here for very long, a day or so at most, if she didn't just kick me out in an hour or two.

-I also knew that he would do everything in his power to make recovery painful while still acting as though he's helping.

-i knew Sid would find it suspicious that i was put oit of gym on injury when i haven't gone on any missions recently.

-I knew that the red-eyed boy had helped me again, despite knowing almost nothing about me...

'Why does he keep helping me?' I thought. After a second of pondering, I noticed that the room was quiet, and I looked up at the people in the room. I looked at Nygus, who was looking at me intently, and i realised she had said something.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? Do you feel nauseated, have a headache, trouble breathing?" She asked.

I considered telling her that I had trouble breathing, but I wasn't sure how "Aaron" would react, or what he would do if he thought I was lying, so I shook my head. "Other than an ache in my ribs, I feel fine."

She smiled, I think. "When you're ready to leave, then, you can go home."

I hopped up, wincing a bit at the pain in my ribs.

"Would you all excuse us for a moment? I would like to speak to my patient in private."

They all nodded, though he looked wary. She ushered them out the door, closing it firmly before turning to me.

"So what's the real reason you're hurt this badly?" She asked tilting her head slightly, her eyes hard, but caring.

I froze. "W-What do you mean?"

" I mean that I deal with clumsy students on a daily basis, and none of them have ever suffered the injuries you have, and, along with those that get hurt on missions, I also see abused students. Now, are you going to tell me who it is, or am I going to have to speak with Lord Death about this?"

Inwardly, I panicked, and I tried to keep my composure. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, and I don't think Lord Death would be concerned about a clumsy student he's never heard of."

She sighed. "Have it your way, then. I am going to get to the bottom of this." She promised, before turning and opening the door. She smiled again. "Remember, get plenty of rest, don't overwork yourself, no missions for a while, and don't forget what we talked about. I'm here if you change your mind."

I hurried out of the room as fast as I could, and saw Soul and "Aaron" there waiting for me.

"Where's Maka?"

"She went to the library to return her book and get another to study." Soul sighed. "Some people just can't be as cool as me, I'm afraid." He turned back to me. "What about you, are you OK?"

Before I could speak, I was lifted off my feet. "I'm gunna take her home so she can rest. She seems pretty beat," "Aaron" spoke.

Soul looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then."

I jumped at a chime that sounded throughout the halls, followed by, "Soul Evans, please report to Lord Death at this time."

He sighed. "I didn't even do anything, this time." He looked back at me. "I'll see you around, I gotta go see what crime I committed this time." He waved a bit, then left.

"Aaron", still playing the good student, carried me out of the school and to our apartment. He then placed me on the armchair, being unusually gentle as he did so. I refused to relax, as I knew he was planning something. He disappeared for a few minutes, and came back with thick towels. Confused, I watched him as he methodically went though the apartment, covering each mirror and reflective surface. I then grew scared as he finished his task and turns toward me.

He circled the chair, much like he did this morning, he didn't say a word, and just looked at me. A minute later, he looked straight ahead, smiling and chuckling as he continued circling, making me feel like prey.

"Well, what do we do, now?" He asked, smiling, his cheerful voice betrayed by the look in his eyes. "You didn't snitch, so you proved that you are at least good for something, and that would normally make you a good girl, right?" He asked, playing with a few strands of my hair as he passed.

He stopped. "Then again, it was your fault that you were in that situation." He slowly walked back in front of me. "Let me guess, you couldn't handle your punishment that you know you deserve, because you're not strong enough yet, right?" He sighed. "Sometimes i don't know why i even put up with you. You're weak." He tilted my face to look at his. "You let your guard down, and I almost paid the price." His face inched closer. "I'm not going to be expelled because a little bitch can't handle what's coming to her."

Instinctively, I flinched, and I heard him chuckle. "I'm not going to hit you, I need you to heal, and injuries after something like this would seem suspicious. At least..." he gripped my jaw and forced me to face him. "Physical injuries would."

With that, he force his lips onto mine, shocking me enough to make me gasp. He took this opportunity to push his tongue into my mouth, exploring everywhere and chilling me to the bone. I tried to push him off, but he broke away long enough to grab both my hands and pin them above my head with his left, then he came back. I tried to wiggle free, but my ribs felt like they were being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles.

He forced me farther into the chair, strattling my lap, and grabbing my ribs just below my left breast. I whimpered in pain, he moved his hand lower, until he reached my pant line and started to loosen my belt. I panicked, and thrashed even more, ignoring the pain that shot though my body, tears streaming down my face. Without warning he broke away, still retraining my hands, and smiled.

"Now where would the fun be if I broke you so soon?" He then got so close, his nose was touchinging mine, and i was forced to look him in his cold, uncaring eyes. "I'm going to beat you down, piece by piece, until the only thing left is a shell. Then, maybe, you'll be obedient. But," he gripped my hands tighter, "if you ever slip so much, again, I will not hesitate to destroy you from the inside, and make you feel like the piece of shit you are."

With that, he climbed off me and let go of my hands, then walked into the kitchen. He came into the room again a few minutes later, carrying a bowl of (f/f) soup. He handed it to me with another of his fake smiles, then wrapped me with the blanket that was on the back of the couch. Then he left, hiding in his room, laughter seeping through the door followed by (l/f/s).

I stared the bowl in shock, still thinking about everything that just happened. Realization settling in, I set the bowl on the coffee table, tears still streaming down my face, before curling into a ball and sobbing. I wanted to leave, but knew i couldn't get far. I needed help, but didn't know anyone that would help me. Nygus tried, but nothing would get better until he was out of the picture, and even I didn't have the heart to destroy the man that was slowly destroying me.

'Soul would help me,' i thought.

'No, he wouldn't.' I subconsciously thought back. 'He doesn't care about me, he just want to use me as an excuse, or as an object to make himself look cooler. He couldn't care less about me.'

I actually sobbed harder at that thought. No matter what happened, I would be alone, no one truly cared about me. I wondered again why I didn't just end it all.

'Because then he'd win. I may not be able to fight back, but I'm not a coward' I thought resolutely. 'But what if i am just a coward, and I'm just too scared to do it?'

I tightened my ball, and let my sobs quieten. The strain of the day exhausted me, and I fell asleep in the chair, the soup untouched on the table.


	2. Chapter 2

I Sighed again as I began to apply the anti-biotic and bandages. Thinking about what got me here wasn't going to make this any better. I knew why he did this to me; I just didn't understand his reasoning. I hadn't told Soul anything; I didn't act too friendly; I even got him to leave me alone. I guess he just did it to remind me not to get too brave, or to try to leave him. I couldn't even if I tried, the leash was too tight. Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't. He'd just find me again; or I'd grow so paranoid that he would, I'd lose my mind. He had me right where he wanted me, and he knew it.

I winced as I tightened the bandages around my ribs. _He is normally more careful than this_ , I noted as I looked at my split elbow and bruised arms. I didn't need to look to know I had bruises appearing on my side and ribs. I'd have to cover them with makeup for gym the next day. The girls wouldn't ask questions; they could care less what happened to me; Sid might, though, if he saw them. He knew I didn't go on assignments that often; and, when I did, I didn't really come back with any more bruises than I had started with. He's the one teacher that's willing to question the "I'm just clumsy" theory, so I knew I had to be careful around him.

I pulled my shirt back down to cover the bandages, and pulled myself up to look in the mirror. A bruise was starting to form on my right cheekbone, and I had a split lip, but it was nothing I hadn't seen before. I limped into my bedroom and collapsed on my bed, nearly crying out when pain shot through my ribs. I curled into a ball and silently sobbed over the way things used to be between us, the way they are now, the pain coursing through my body, and, shockingly, the kindness shown to me by a boy that hadn't even known my name.

-

I must have drifted off, because I woke up the next morning to feel my arm being forcefully grabbed, and myself being yanked off the bed. I stumbled, still partially asleep, but stood, and forced my eyes open. He stood in front of me, calm and collected, his eyes scanning me, assessing the damages. By now, I was fully awake, fear making me feel cold and shocking me to my bones. I tried to keep a straight face, and didn't look him in the eye. He circled me once, looking up and down, before stopping in front of me. Without speaking a word, he turned and left, leaving me to wonder why he was here. I heard the door front door slam shut, and I sighed in relief, not realising I had been holding my breath.

I limped over to the closet, feeling each of the bruises and cuts "Aaron" left as I stepped. Wincing, I opened the door and pulled out a (f/c) shirt and (2/f/c) pants, looking them up and down, deciding whether or not to wear them. Knowing that **he** hated the color (f/c), I decided instead on a long sleeved (l/f/c) shirt with plain light-blue jeans.

'At least no one will notice me in this...' I thought, carefully pulling on each article of clothing, cringing at each bolt of pain that shot through my body. Once I managed to accomplish this twenty minutes later, I limped into the kitchen to grab a yogart from the fridge, then carefully made my way out the door, grabbing my bag as I left.

By the time I got to the school, class had already started, so I sat outside the door to the crescent room, trying to breathe the pain away while listening to the lecture through the door. A few people stopped when they saw me, one of them even asked if I needed help. I politely declined, and he walked away, shrugging. I took another deep breath, relaxing against the wall, shuddering slightly in pain. I closed my eyes, praying for it to stop, or, at least, for the bell to ring. The pain slowly dulled to a throbbing, aching pain, and I sighed in relief, becoming drowsy almost instantly. I fought against the urge to sleep, knowing that the bell would ring soon, and I would have to get up, but it seemed to have fought back, as everything grew blurry, and, as I felt my head lightly knock against the wall, everything turned black.

((Magical time skip of the happy dreams you had while you were out see, I'm not that mean to you!))

I slowly came back, the remnants of a good dream fading much too quickly. Everything was fuzzy, I could hear sounds, but couldn't make out if they were voices, or footsteps, or just the air moving. Sadly, while some of my senses were slow to come back, my sense of pain seemed to hit me like a bullet train. I lightly groaned, feeling the pain come back, though duller than before. I tried to turn into my side, but I felt something lightly holding me back by my shoulder, and I cringed slightly at the pain it brought. I thought I heard a voice, thought it was much to fuzzy to make out words or even the gender of the person speaking.

I felt a pain in my ribs again, I think someone poked them, and the sounds started to become clearer. I could make out four different voices, at least one of them belonged to a girl. I started to see pink, which I believe was the light on the other side of my eyelids. I tried to crack them open, but the sudden brightness burned, and I slammed them shut. I could make out the voices better, and made out two males and two females. One of the females sounded like Nygus, and another sounded extremely familiar. I only vaguely recognised the other two.

After a another moment, I attempted to open my eyes again. This time only gave me a very slight headache, and I blinked, trying to get used to the cream colored walls. I was immediately aware that I wasn't in my room, and that this wasn't my bed. Looking around, I indeed saw Nygus and, standing next to him, Soul. I felt confused, then bad, as I failed to recognise his voice. Looking at the end of my bed, I saw a girl with blonde pigtails nose deep in a book before I heard a voice to my left.

"(Y/n)! Thank god you're alright!" My blood ran cold, and I knew why that voice sounded extremely familiar. Looking over, I saw **him.**

"I was so worried when they called me down, what happened?" He asked, mock concern lacing his voice and gracing his facial expression.

I furrowed my eyebrows. " I was tired and late, so I sat outside listening to the lecture. I guess I must have dosed off," I said, trying to make it sound nonchalant. " I don't know how I ended up here, though."

The blonde girl looked up, then, revealing green eyes. "That would be thanks to Soul, here." She stood up and held out her hand, allowing me to see her outfit: a black jacket over a white dress shirt with a striped tie. On bottom, a plaid skirt that went about mid-thigh. I couldn't see her shoes. "Hi, I'm Maka, Soul's Meister. You're (y/n), right?" she asked, giving me a kind smile.

After a moment, I nodded, then looked at Soul, raising one of my eyebrows. He shrugged. "When the bell rang, Maka here almost forgot a textbook, and we were late leaving. Because of that, we were at the end of the mob, " he smiled. "Everyone was swerving once they got out the door, so I got out and saw you sitting there. I tried to say hi, but you didn't answer, so I looked, and you seemed to be asleep. I tried waking you up by shaking your shoulder, but you just kinda cringed, and shifted." He shrugged again. "I couldn't just leave you there with your head hangin' like that, it would Have killed your neck, and that'd be seriously uncool. So, I picked you up and carried you here so you could rest in peace. Once I got you in here, I was gunna leave, but when I put you on the bed, you yelled, like, really loud, and sounded like you were in pain, so Nygus checked you out, and was asking me questions on what happened."

With those words, My blood froze solid in my veins. Soul, oblivious as he is sometimes, continued talking. "Along with an impressive number of bruises, you have two ribs broken, one on each side." He looked at me. "What did you do to get that beat up? Insult symmetry in front of Kid?"

I managed a nervous smile. "I'm just clumsy, I guess." He didn't seem like he believed it, but he let it go. "Well, whatever it was, it got you good. Good news, is, you don't have to participate in gym for a while, so that's a plus," he said, chuckling.

"Right, lucky..." I did a small laugh, and went quiet. "Aaron" began to discuss care with Nygus, and Soul began talking to Maka, so I was free to sink back into my pillow, wincing for a moment, and look at the ceiling.

I took this moment to assess what I knew.  
-I knew that Nygus wouldn't let me stay here for very long, a day or so at most, if she didn't just kick me out in an hour or two.  
-I also knew that **he** would do everything in his power to make recovery painful while still acting as though he's helping.  
-i knew Sid would find it suspicious that i was put oit of gym on injury when i haven't gone on any missions recently.  
-I knew that the red-eyed boy had helped me again, despite knowing almost nothing about me...

'Why does he keep helping me?' I thought. After a second of pondering, I noticed that the room was quiet, and I looked up at the people in the room. I looked at Nygus, who was looking at me intently, and i realised she had said something.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay? Do you feel nauseated, have a headache, trouble breathing?" She asked.

I considered telling her that I had trouble breathing, but I wasn't sure how "Aaron" would react, or what he would do if he thought I was lying, so I shook my head. "Other than an ache in my ribs, I feel fine."

She smiled, I think. "When you're ready to leave, then, you can go home."

I hopped up, wincing a bit at the pain in my ribs.

"Would you all excuse us for a moment? I would like to speak to my patient in private."

They all nodded, though **he** looked wary. She ushered them out the door, closing it firmly before turning to me.

"So what's the real reason you're hurt this badly?" She asked tilting her head slightly, her eyes hard, but caring.

I froze. "W-What do you mean?"

" I mean that I deal with clumsy students on a daily basis, and none of them have ever suffered the injuries you have, and, along with those that get hurt on missions, I also see abused students. Now, are you going to tell me who it is, or am I going to have to speak with Lord Death about this?"

Inwardly, I panicked, and I tried to keep my composure. "I honestly don't know what you're talking about, and I don't think Lord Death would be concerned about a clumsy student he's never heard of."

She sighed. "Have it your way, then. I am going to get to the bottom of this." She promised, before turning and opening the door. She smiled again. "Remember, get plenty of rest, don't overwork yourself, no missions for a while, and don't forget what we talked about. I'm here if you change your mind."

I hurried out of the room as fast as I could, and saw Soul and "Aaron" there waiting for me.

"Where's Maka?"

"She went to the library to return her book and get another to study." Soul sighed. "Some people just can't be as cool as me, I'm afraid." He turned back to me. "What about you, are you OK?"

Before I could speak, I was lifted off my feet. "I'm gunna take her home so she can rest. She seems pretty beat," "Aaron" spoke.

Soul looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Alright, then."

I jumped at a chime that sounded throughout the halls, followed by, "Soul Evans, please report to Lord Death at this time."

He sighed. "I didn't even do anything, this time." He looked back at me. "I'll see you around, I gotta go see what crime I committed this time." He waved a bit, then left.

"Aaron", still playing the good student, carried me out of the school and to our apartment. He then placed me on the armchair, being unusually gentle as he did so. I refused to relax, as I knew he was planning something. He disappeared for a few minutes, and came back with thick towels. Confused, I watched him as he methodically went though the apartment, covering each mirror and reflective surface. I then grew scared as he finished his task and turns toward me.

He circled the chair, much like he did this morning, he didn't say a word, and just looked at me. A minute later, he looked straight ahead, smiling and chuckling as he continued circling, making me feel like prey.

"Well, what do we do, now?" He asked, smiling, his cheerful voice betrayed by the look in his eyes. "You didn't snitch, so you proved that you are at least good for something, and that would normally make you a good girl, right?" He asked, playing with a few strands of my hair as he passed.

He stopped. "Then again, it was your fault that you were in that situation." He slowly walked back in front of me. "Let me guess, you couldn't handle your punishment that you know you deserve, because you're not strong enough yet, right?" He sighed. "Sometimes i don't know why i even put up with you. You're weak." He tilted my face to look at his. "You let your guard down, and I almost paid the price." His face inched closer. "I'm not going to be expelled because a little bitch can't handle what's coming to her."

Instinctively, I flinched, and I heard him chuckle. "I'm not going to hit you, I need you to heal, and injuries after something like this would seem suspicious. At least..." he gripped my jaw and forced me to face him. "Physical injuries would."

With that, he force his lips onto mine, shocking me enough to make me gasp. He took this opportunity to push his tongue into my mouth, exploring everywhere and chilling me to the bone. I tried to push him off, but he broke away long enough to grab both my hands and pin them above my head with his left, then he came back. I tried to wiggle free, but my ribs felt like they were being stabbed by thousands of tiny needles.

He forced me farther into the chair, strattling my lap, and grabbing my ribs just below my left breast. I whimpered in pain, he moved his hand lower, until he reached my pant line and started to loosen my belt. I panicked, and thrashed even more, ignoring the pain that shot though my body, tears streaming down my face. Without warning he broke away, still retraining my hands, and smiled.

"Now where would the fun be if I broke you so soon?" He then got so close, his nose was touchinging mine, and i was forced to look him in his cold, uncaring eyes. "I'm going to beat you down, piece by piece, until the only thing left is a shell. Then, maybe, you'll be obedient. But," he gripped my hands tighter, "if you ever slip so much, again, I will not hesitate to destroy you from the inside, and make you feel like the piece of shit you are."

With that, he climbed off me and let go of my hands, then walked into the kitchen. He came into the room again a few minutes later, carrying a bowl of (f/f) soup. He handed it to me with another of his fake smiles, then wrapped me with the blanket that was on the back of the couch. Then he left, hiding in his room, laughter seeping through the door followed by (l/f/s).

I stared the bowl in shock, still thinking about everything that just happened. Realization settling in, I set the bowl on the coffee table, tears still streaming down my face, before curling into a ball and sobbing. I wanted to leave, but knew i couldn't get far. I needed help, but didn't know anyone that would help me. Nygus tried, but nothing would get better until **he** was out of the picture, and even I didn't have the heart to destroy the man that was slowly destroying me.

'Soul would help me,' i thought.

'No, he wouldn't.' I subconsciously thought back. 'He doesn't care about me, he just want to use me as an excuse, or as an object to make himself look cooler. He couldn't care less about me.'

I actually sobbed harder at that thought. No matter what happened, I would be alone, no one truly cared about me. I wondered again why I didn't just end it all.

'Because then he'd win. I may not be able to fight back, but I'm not a coward' I thought resolutely. 'But what if i am just a coward, and I'm just too scared to do it?'

I tightened my ball, and let my sobs quieten. The strain of the day exhausted me, and I fell asleep in the chair, the soup untouched on the table.


	3. Chapter 2 (Bonus)

**The Mission**

((Meanwhile, back with Soul...))

(3rd person POV)

Soul walked down th halls, frustrated that he had been called down into Lord Death`s office. `I don't even remember doing Anything, and Maka should be fine. Why do they want me?` he groaned. `I hope i don't have to do remedial lessons, again. Thats how we ended up with Stein as a teacher`.

Knocking on the door, he waited. The door creaked open, and he entered, looking disinterested as usual. He made his way down the guillotine hallway, quietly grumbling to himself as he made his way to Lord Death.

When he got there, he was a bit suprised to see, not only Lord Death and Spirit, but Nygus as well. 'Wasn't she just in the nurses office?'

She looked at him with a look of the utmost seriousness. "Soul, we have a problem."

"One of our meisters has been abusing his weapons," Lord Death spoke up. "We've noticed a large amount of female weapons turning up beaten, and nearly broken mentally. They all left this meister before they did serious damage, and they now have partners that match them properly. That is, all but one."

Soul began to get irritated

Nygus then chose to speak again. "We believe that he has another partner, one that refuses to get help, possibly out of fear, and it may end up getting her killed. She constantly tries to cover it up, using different excuses and reasons to make it seem possible and unconnected. We can not afford to lose another weapon, especially to something this despicable."

Soul looked down. "A weapon's sole purpose is to protect the meister. She wouldn't be able to touch him without breaking that rule." He started to see red, clenching his fists to try and control his anger.

The speakers switched back. "The reason we called you here is because you have gotten a bit close to this weapon recently, not enough for you to really notice, but close for her. We need you to keep an eye on her, and help us get rid of the meister."

"Why don't you just expell the person now?!" Soul asked, barely keeping his volume in check.

"If it was that easy, we would. Unfortunately, he seems to have entered each class as a different name, and no two pictures match on the ID's. He seems to have his bases well covered. This is the only way we could think of that the weapon would agree with, or wouldn't know about."

"Well, who is the weapon anyway?"

Nygus and Lord Death looked at each other nervously before a voice behind them spoke up.

"(F/N)(L/N)." They all turned to see Spirit, who looked sick with the whole situation. "No one deserves to be treated like that, not a weapon and especially not her. She is one that holds the bond between meister and weapon the most sacred, and she'd never go against him, no matter what he did. She may not be my little girl, but this feels as personal as if it was. Don't screw this up, Evans." He said with a seriousness that was unlike him.

Soul reigned in his anger enough to appear almost calm. "So i just have to keep her safe, is that it?" He asked, looking at Nygus and Lord Death.

"Keep her safe, and possibly convince her to leave her meister. If we could do that, we could get to the meister without anyone else being injured. We have no idea what he could be capable of, so please, try to complete this mission without causing her more harm."

He stood for a moment before nodding. "Can i tell the others?"

Nygus shook her head. "It might scare her away, or cause him to hurt her even more. If you must, tell them only that they have tl keep an eye out for her. Make up an excuse why, but don't tell them the real reason unless it becomes absolutely nessessary."

"You can, however, tell Maka." The death god added. "She will have to know where you go when you disappear on her, in case something happens and we need you."

He waves Soul off. "Now, i suggest you go meet with Maka, she's waiting out the door for you."

Soul turned and walked out, looking at the ground, deep in thought. He wasn't paying attention when he walked out the door, only to be hit in the back of the head, hard enough to see stars.

-

"SOUL! YOU IDIOT, WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?!"

Lord Death chuckled as the door to his room closed, then turned to his mirror. He wrote numbers into the glass and waited. Strangely, the only he could see was darkness. He switched his view, and got similar results, some completely black, some with hints of light in the form of tiny squares.

"Huh?" He tilted his head to the side. "Did i break this thing?" He lightly whacked the side, and seeing nothing had changed, turned it off, not knowing that, if he had listened closely, he would have heard a faint, almost silent, sobbing.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

(Reader's POV)

 _It's dark, and I'm running. I'm not sure what it is behind me, but it is terrifying enough for me to feel the need to run for my life. I can feel the dirt crunching under my bare feet, the rocks digging at my toes. The wind is whipping through my hair, the harsh cold air biting at my ears. My breathing is turning ragged, and I know I have to stop soon, or I'll fall, but if I stop, I'll die._

 _I'm running through the twisted trees, a familiar, demented laughter echoing around me. I skid to a stop as I see movement in front of me. Hidden in a bunch of sticks is a snake, fast and deadly. It watches me with its dark eyes, waiting to strike. I run to the side, away from the snake and whatever is chasing me, into the trees. The branches clawing at my arms soon feel like teeth, biting and gnawing at my exposed flesh. I continue to run. Run, run, climbing up a hill until I stop at the edge of a cliff. I look over the edge, finding the sharp rocks below, and turn._

 _I see a shadow. It comes closer, my breath gets heavier, and yet he comes closer still. The light from the full moon finally illuminates the area, and I can see who it is. I finally speak._

 _"Soul?" I ask, taking a micro-step back, pebbles falling into the jagged rocks below._

 _He takes a step forward, worry written clear on his face, along with an emotion foreign to me. "Be careful!" He says, looking at me with large red eyes. "Please, step away from the edge, I'll keep you safe, I promise!"_

 _I'm tempted to believe him, but something feels wrong. I take a step forward, and I can suddenly see something out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head, and gasp at what I see._

 _Soul is tied up at a stake, beaten and bloody, his head hanging low. I look back where he was before, and see_ _ **him**_ _in his place, a sick smile plastered on his face. I take a step back, flinching away from the sight of_ _ **him**_ _, and I'm at the edge again. Soul looks up at me, his face nearly unrecognizable under the scarlet liquid that coats it, and fear flashes over his face, but before he can do anything,_ _ **he**_ _steps forward, and I try to take another step back, only to hit empty air. I hear Soul cry my name as I fall, but, strangely, I am silent, as I watch the ground and dagger-like rocks rush to meet me…_

I jolted up in the chair, my breath as ragged as it had been in the dream. I placed my hand over my heart, panting and feeling my pulse start to slow, my ribs aching. I looked around the room, noticing the bowl of cold soup on the table. I jumped up, picked up the bowl, and took it into the kitchen to take care of it. I washed it and put it away, my stomach deciding to make its presence known soon after. I attempted to reach into the cupboard, but failed as I cringed away, feeling pain race through my ribs like a Porsche. I took the small stool nearby and stepped on it, making the distance more manageable. Holding my now aching ribs, I reached in again, grabbing the granola bar on the second shelf. I climbed down again, opening the bar and munching on it as I pick up my school things and speed-walk out the door, holding my ribs as I go, and trying to shake off the nightmare.

-~*(Time Skip)*~-

I limp my way into the classroom and take my seat near the top in the back. I chose the corner furthest from the door to avoid being seen. I watch people stream into the room and take their seats, and I envy them at that moment. They can sit where ever and not have to worry about what may happen to them if someone sees them. Hell, they'll sit closer to the door so people will see them. They don't have to worry about prying eyes.

I'm so focused on my thoughts, I don't see the two people that have moved to sit next to me until I focus in enough to hear…

"(Y/N)? Hello? You there?" It is then that I notice the hand waving in front of my face. I look over to see Soul and his meister…..Baka? No, Maka! That's it.

"You alright, there? You were kind of glaring at the poor people coming in the door," he asked, looking concerned.

I put on a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Why are you over here? Don't you and your friends normally sit over there?" I ask, pointing toward the middle of the seats.

He smiled. "I figured we'd try something new, get you to meet a few people." He sits down next to me. "And Maka's father is subbing for Professor Stein, and she doesn't want to be seen."

I looked over at Maka, who was glaring at Soul and looking like she was planning his death at just mentioning her father.

Before I could speak, hands dropped down firmly on my shoulders, and I heard a yell. Instinctively, I panicked, flinched, and curled into a ball. I heard Maka yell at whoever it was, there was the sound of something being smacked, and the hands let go. I slowly peeked out, and turned. Maka was glaring at someone hidden behind the wall that served as a barrier between the highest seats and the walkway, and Soul was looking at me, in between yelling at Maka and looking at whoever was down there. I slowly pulled out of my ball and looked behind the short wall.

I wasn't quite sure what I was looking at, at first. I saw a head of blue, spikey hair above a bleeding face. I believe Maka hit whoever this is with her book. He, as that is what I believed it was, wore a black shirt with what looked like strips of metal around the edges and up the black collar, which stuck up. He had a star tattoo on his shoulder, and on the tips of his shoes, which were black and white, under his white and black shorts. He had bandages wrapped around his wrists, and went onto his hands, almost like fingerless gloves…

He started to move, and I ducked behind the wall, watching him with wide eyes. He sat up, rubbing his head, and glared at Maka.

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT, FOR?" He shouted at her, standing up to glower at her.

She stood up and glared right back at him. "I DID IT BECAUSE YOU'RE A SELFISH ASSHOLE, AND YOU TERRIFIED (Y/N)!"

The boy looked confused. "(Y/N)?" he glanced around and saw me hiding mostly behind the wall, and my eyes went wider than before.

He looked like he was trying to be quieter, but he seemed like the type of person that was naturally loud. "Why are you hiding back there?! The star is out here, you don't have to hide from a big star like me!" I flinched under his loud words, and heard a much quieter voice that seemed to be…chastising him?

I looked up, and saw a tall, thin girl with long black hair pulled into a ponytail. She had curves, which showed partly in her outfit. It was a beige dress with a deep "V" neck and a yellow star on her right breast, around her neck was a black scarf. There was a slit up the side of the dress on the right side, and her belt looked like the same type of metal strip that was on the loud kid's shirt. She wore black and grey striped sleeves on her wrist, and long, black socks that went to her mid-thigh. She wore tall boots, the same color as her dress, with a square pattern along the bottom. She seemed really quiet, even as she was yelling at him. I tried to listen, but the arguments between everyone there made it hard to hear. I only picked up that the kid's name was Black Star, which I should have realized before.

I sat, panicking a little inside while I watched the small fight before me, when I felt a small nudge on my right side. I almost wouldn't have noticed, as it was that light. I turned and saw a person with pink hair, styled in a flared out bob. I wasn't sure whether the person was a girl, or a boy, as they had one of those faces that made it hard to tell, but they looked cute either way. They had dark, haunted eyes, and a long black dress-like cloak, with large white cuffs. He/she was looking at me nervously, glancing back and forth between me and the small, loud group.

"A-a-are you o-o-okay?" He/she said in a voice so quiet, I had to strain to hear. I believed then that it was a boy, going by the lower pitch to his voice. I nodded, feeling a bit calmer with this person. He nodded back, then turned to face the chaos again. "I don't understand why they do this, they just scare everyone away and disrupt class…" he trailed off, watching at Maka in particular. I smiled, watching his smile slowly appear, when suddenly a loud slam was heard from the front. Maka froze, the boy nearly jumped out of his skin, and everyone else simply stopped.

At the front of the room stood a man with red, messy hair, in a black suit with a cross-shaped tie. He looked at our little group with dark blue/grey eyes, glancing back at Maka after glaring at each person. When his eyes got to me, they softened a little, making me bring my eyebrows together in confusion.

 _He's probably just heard the rumors about me. It's pity, that's all_.

His eyes turned away, and looked at the rest of the class.

"Well, if that's over, maybe we can get started with class." He picked up a clip board. "Now, today, I'm going to take attendance for the boys."

I was confused. Why did he only take it for one gender? Didn't it make more sense to take it for everyone, or no one at all?

He began calling out names, most of which I vaguely recognized. As he called out each one, the man glanced around the room, studying each face before moving on to the next person. No one else seemed to notice, making me believe that I imagined it. I looked over at Maka, and was surprised to see her glaring at the man. It was then that I remembered that Soul had said that he was her father, and it made me wonder what he did to earn such hatred.

By now, each of the people involved in the little skirmish were seated in various spots next to or in front of me. The pink-haired boy was staring down in his seat on one side of me, looking at me every once in a while. Maka and Soul were sitting next to each other on my other side, Soul sitting the closest to me. He was glaring at the substitute, though not nearly as intensely as Maka was. Black Star, as that seemed to be his name, was seated in front of me, with his…partner? Girlfriend...the tall, black haired girl seated next to him.

The man finished calling names, then set the clip board down. "Alright, students. For those of you that don't know who I am, you may call me Spirit. Now," He pulled out a stack of papers. "This is a quiz sent by Lord Death. He would like each of you to take it," groans and protests sounded through-out the room. "Don't worry, it's not that kind of quiz. He'd like each of you to answer truthfully, as the results of this quiz are important, though I can't tell you why, yet."

The papers got passed around, and eventually made it to my little corner of the room. I passed the last one to the boy next to me, and I looked at the paper. I could hear mumbled complaints in each row, and Black Star was no different. He was grumbling up a storm, complaining about how he was above having to take such a thing.

I looked at the first question.

" _Are you or have you ever been involved in taking illegal drugs?"_

…What? I looked at it again, only to have it read the same as before. I answered the question, and looked at the next one.

" _Are you distributing illegal drugs to interested buyers?"_

I couldn't believe it. I believe that the quiz was one that they gave students in normal schools in America as a drug and alcohol survey. I giggled a bit at the thought of the other students filling this out. I filled out all the questions in that section without a problem, then continued to the next section, this one seeming newer than the last.

" _Are you a victim of domestic abuse?"_

I froze. 'How am I supposed to answer this? Well, I should answer no, obviously, but it's supposed to be anonymous, so I could tell the truth. But if I say yes, they'll investigate, and I cannot let that happen! Oh, but I have to tell someone! What am I supposed to do?!'

During my mental argument, time was slowly running out, and many people finished their little quizzes, Soul and the others being a few of them. They quietly conversed among themselves, sharing answers and looking around at the people still taking it. I must have looked pretty conflicted, as I saw a hand waving in front of my face again. I blinked, looking over to see Soul.

"You alright?"

I nodded. "Just fine. I was just thinking about some things I have to do later," I lied, and circled "no" on the page. The rest of the questions were similar, so I answered them in a similar manner.

I finished in time for the bell to chime, and I got up to retrieve my stuff. After carefully putting my bag on my back, I slowly made my way behind the pack, down the stairs and out the door.

I was surprised to see Soul and Maka waiting outside the door for me, along with the one known as Black Star and his partner. I shyly waved, and Maka shoved Black star forward. He glared at her for a second, then looked at the ground. He sighed. "I apologize, I didn't realize that my god-ness scared you so badly," for that, he got whacked upside the head. "Okay! I'm sorry that I was loud, rude, and obnoxious!" He looked back at Maka. "Happy?!"

"Yes," she said calmly. She looked at me. "Are you alright?"

I nod. I saw movement behind her, and saw the pink-haired boy standing behind her, looking down. She saw me looking, and smiled. "This is Crona. He's a bit shy, but he'll warm up to you." She points at the other two. "I assume you know Black Star by now, the girl over there is his weapon, Tsubaki." The black haired girl waved at me, and I gave a small smile back.

All of a sudden, a black shape started to morph out of Crona's back. I took a huge step back and stared in fear at the shape, which was slowly morphing to look like…a…tiny person? The shape clearly had a head, and two arms, which dawned large, white gloves with spikey wrists. The head didn't really have much for facial features, other than a large white "X" across the face, and two buggy white eyes, each with "X"s in the middle. The body stayed black, and two black spikes formed on his shoulders.

It looked closely at me, and I fell back, staring at it, and ignoring the pain in my butt/lower back. Its eyes seemed to look directly into my soul, and I flinched, hiding partially behind my arm.

"Who's the chick?" I heard a tiny, kind of squeaky voice say, and I put my arm down to look at it.

"…w-w-what?" I stuttered, not quite believing that that tiny voice just came out of that strange little body.

He got a bit closer, dragging poor Crona with him. "Who are you? Never mind, do you make good food? Like, better than the flat-chested chick over there?" he rudely asked, pointing at Maka. She yelled, and walked up to smack him, and the two started arguing. Soul and Black Star tried to help, but ended up getting involved themselves, while Tsubaki tried to calm everyone down, though she was too quiet to properly do so.

By this point, Crona was on the floor, hiding under his hands. So I crawled over and cowered on the floor next to him. The noise stopped rather abruptly. I slowly peaked out from behind my hands to see….everyone in that group staring at me. Even Crona was looking over at me, while his little demon thing eyed me… kind of like he did when he looked at Crona. I got out of the little ball I had curled myself into, and sat on the floor, looking at the ground, my face slowly turning red.

"Hey, you ok?" I looked up to see Tsubaki looking down at me, her caring nature gleaming in her eyes. I smiled, and was about to speak when a chime was heard.

~"(Y/N)(L/N), Please report to the nurses office at this time."~

I sighed, and got up. "I'm sorry, it was lovely meeting you all, but it seems that I am needed." I bow, and turn to leave.

"Hey," I heard Soul call. I turned around again. "We're going to go get pizza after school, you wanna come with?"

My face heated slightly, and I knew it sounded like fun, but I shook my head. "I've got stuff to do after school, and I should be resting, so my ribs can heal faster."

He nodded like he understood, but he seemed a bit wary. "Just be careful, okay? It'd be totally uncool if that doesn't heal right."

I nodded back, then turned and walked down to the nurse.

~Mini time skip~

I knocked on the door, and, upon hearing Nygus' "come in", I entered. She was leaning against one of the beds, and straightened as I walked in.

"Ah, (Y/N), good to see you again. Are you going to tell me how you got that injured, yet?"

I looked at her. "I've already told you, a few times."

She looked at me steadily for a few moments, then closed her eyes and sighed at me. "Well, that's not the reason I called you down." She walked over to her desk, and picked up a small packet of papers. "This is your note to get you out of gym. Underneath is what you need to know and do in order to make sure that those ribs heal correctly. You might want to make sure your partner knows that this means no strenuous activities and lots of rest." She looked at me with those knowing eyes, and I shivered.

"I-I'll make sure he knows…"

"Good. Now, make sure you don't bandage your ribs." I looked at her, confused. "I know, that used to be standard practice, but we've found that doing that can lead to serious injuries, most of which involving the lungs. Remember to practice breathing deeply and regularly, no matter if it hurts, try coughing exercises, and ice them periodically." She handed me another sheet of paper. "This is a prescription of pain medications. Sadly, ribs have to heal on their own, so those are the best thing for them. Don't overdose on them, and you'll be fine." Her tone changed again. "(Y/N), remember, you're not alone. Whether you choose to believe it or not, people are here for you." She placed her hand on my shoulder for just a moment, then dropped it again. "Well, if there isn't anything else, I'll have to ask you to be on your way."

I stood there for a moment, before nodding, and I left the room, looking over the packet as I headed home, slightly terrified to have to tell **him** the news.


	5. Chapter 4

p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I walked into the apartment, looking around fearfully, and clutching the packet in my tightened hands. Seeing no one, I hurried in and shut the door. I went to my room and dropped off my bag, making sure not to twist too much and wincing at the deep aching in my chest. I then walked into the kitchen to thaw out meat to go with dinner. I thought about it for a moment, and decided on making spaghetti, something stronghe/strong enjoyed. I needed him to be in a good mood, so that I may heal properly, and without difficulties./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Soon, the pasta was boiling, and the sauce was heated, meat distributed evenly throughout the acidic paste. I gave it a taste and smiled, humming lightly. Just right. I turned it off and set it on a back burner. I then put on a kettle for tea. It was the only thing we really both enjoyed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I walk out and set the table, making sure everything was lined up and in order before going out and checking the pasta one last time. After doing that, I started on washing the dishes I had used and cleaning the counters. By now, my nerves had calmed slightly, and I was a little more prepared to face stronghim/strong./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Soon, I heard the door open and shut, the telltale sounds of a bag dropping on the floor, and footsteps walking to the kitchen. He popped his head in, smiling an eerily cheesy grin that immediately threw me off guard, before walking in and gave me a hug. I froze, unsure exactly what to do. After a moment, stronghe/strong pulled back, looking me in the eyes and smiling again./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" "Hello, (Y/N), how was your day?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I stood still, still unsure of what to do, or say. Surely, this was a trap, and anything I did would, in time, result in some sort of punishment./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He looked at me, seemingly concerned. "Are you feeling alright, dear? Do your ribs hurt? Have you taken your painkillers?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I snapped out of my daze a moment later. "Oh, yes, I'm fine, just... tired."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He shook his head, laughing a little. "You should be resting, then, not up and about, cooking and cleaning." He gently set his hands on my arms, and I flinched as he gently pushed me out of the room. "I'll take care of things here, you go relax. After all, we need you to get all healed so we can go on missions again, like we used to."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I blinked and numbly walked to the living room, sitting on the couch and wincing slightly. I considered doing my breathing exercises, but, after trying to concentrate on a single routine for ten minutes and failing, I sighed and carefully laid down, my hands on my stomach./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" As I laid there, I wondered briefly if this was a twisted dream, and if I had passed out while trying to cook, or if this entire day had just been one long dream. Really, I was leaning more toward the second thought, as no one really talked to me before today. I decided to act as I normally did, just in case this wasn't a dream./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" A few minutes later, I saw him walk in, two plates in hand as he set them on the table. I moved to sit up before he stopped me./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" "I'm sorry, dear, I know you worked hard to set the table up so nicely, but I also knew how much it would hurt if you had to get up to move out to the table, so I just thought I'd bring it out here so we could eat together."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I sat there for a moment, his words slowly sinking in as I tried to find the hidden meaning within. After finding none, I relaxed slightly, just enough for it to be perceivable to anyone that knew me. He noticed and smiled a little wider, sitting next to me and beginning to eat happily./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I continued to watch him, sure that this was a trick. Maybe he had traded places with someone that looked like him, or I was delusional from the painkillers. Why would he, the one that is personally responsible for my injuries and current mental state, suddenly begin acting as happy and carefree as…as….I don't know, Spongebob?/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He looked over after a moment, and tilted his head in what appeared to be concern. "Why aren't you eating? Do you feel ill?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I shook my head to clear my mind. "Ah, no… I was just thinking about… what missions we may be able to do."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He smiled. "We'll worry about that later. For now, eat, you need to keep up your strength." After a trice, I began to eat, slowly, if only to appease him. It wasn't bad, it could have used a bit more parsley, but it was at least passable. I watched him as I ate, searching for any sign that he was disappointed, or disgusted, only to find him with that stupid smile still on his face, happily eating away. I finish my food and make to stand, only to have him gently set his hand on my shoulder, making me flinch ever so slightly./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He smiled at me. "I'll take care of that, you go draw yourself a warm bath and relax, you deserve it." He then walked off, leaving me sitting in the room, dumbfounded. I heard the clatter of dishes, and, a few minutes later, saw his head peek in. "Well? Go on, don't make me carry you~" He chuckled and ducks back into the kitchen. I stood up as quickly as I could, hissing in pain as I grabbed my ribs, making my way to the bathroom./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I shut the door, locking it behind me and turning toward the tub. I crouched down before the sink, breathing through the pain as I reached to the far back, grabbing a plastic wrapped package and pulling it out. I smiled, looking down at the lilac bath set my grandma had given me a few years prior, and carefully open the package, setting everything up./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Then came the issue of getting in. I took a deep breath as I pulled myself up with the sink, hissing as I stood enough to sit on the edge of the tub. I sighed in relief, leaning forward slightly to slip off my pants and panties, then try to carefully maneuver my arms through both my shirt and bra. I slipped into the bath, sighing as my body instantly started to relax at the warm touch. I settled into the tub, leaning my head back against the edge carefully and resting my arms in my lap. I sunk in a bit more, relaxing for the first time in months. I sat in peace, allowing my mind to drift to the people I had seen today./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Black Star seemed….interesting. Very loud and abrasive, but he didn't seem like that bad of a guy. If only he could stop going on about being a god… Then there was his partner, Tsubaki. She seemed rather nice, though she seemed to blend into the background rather well. She could actually stand to be a little louder, and forceful. Perhaps that is why they are partners, is to balance each other out…/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I sat forward and put my head on my knees, wrapping my arms around them and sighing. Crona seemed a bit like me, in a way. He was rather quiet and shy, and actually seemed rather scared. Well, scared, unless he was looking at or talking to Maka. I giggled a bit, thinking about how cute those two would be. She may even be able to straighten out that strange thing that Crona has…whatever that was. I shivered a bit at the thought of it. Its creepy little eyes unnerved me, its large, unblinking bug eyes seeming to stare into my soul and view my darkest secrets. I'd have to keep an eye on him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I leaned back again, relaxing against the sloped edge of the tub as my mind once again drifted to Soul, as it had been doing often recently. What was it about him that captivated my thoughts? He wasn't bad looking, but looks don't mean everything. I learned that lesson well with "Aaron". Could it be his relaxed laugh, or his calm way of looking at everything? Thinking on it some more, I came to the conclusion that it was, in fact, his caring attitude that caused the boy to invaded my mind./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" A slight flush of heat to my face made me realize that it was time to get out, so, pulling the plug, I grabbed onto the edge of the tub and painfully pulled my way out. Sitting on the edge, I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around my body, grabbing my clothes the least painful way possible and holding them close to my chest as I stood, walking to the door. I peeked my head out, and, after making sure he was busy, I crept out to my room, leaving a small trail of water from my dripping hair./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Once inside, I looked around, then locked my door, sighing as I leaned against it. I walked over to my dresser, grabbing a nightgown and underwear, slipping them on as carefully as I could. I used my towel to dry my hair until it was damp, and laid back on my bed, looking at the ceiling. I quickly grew drowsy, and I had barely managed to slip a small throw blanket over my legs and torso before darkness overtook me, slipping me into a peaceful silence./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"strongMeanwhile, in another part of the city… (3suprd/sup Person POV)/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" A thin boy, about average height for his age, was sitting in his study; attempting to do his homework at the large mahogany desk his father had provided him. Twin sets of candles burned at each side of the surface, dripping nearly identical trails of wax down the stick and onto the base below. The boy sighed and set his pen in its holder at the top of the desk. He leaned back in his desk chair and sighed again, slipping both hands behind his head and staring at a random area of his ceiling. His mind drifted back to the conversation he had had with his father earlier that day, and the task that had been entrusted to him./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He sighed again in frustration, adjusting his oddly colored hair so it set properly before standing, abandoning his perfectly placed homework and striding quickly to the door. He snapped his fingers, the action blowing out the candles, before he walked out the door, determined to find the two young women that shared his home./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" One of these ladies was sitting in her room at the table, an open bottle of red nail polish on one side, nail polish remover and cotton balls on the other. She examined her nails for any dust or dirt before carefully brushing the liquid over the smooth surface, observing for any bubbles or streaks in the substance before moving onto the next one. Once finished, she capped the bottle and set her fingers under a gently blowing nail fan, smile at her handiwork. She took the break from that hand to check the other, already polished hand for any mistakes or flaws./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" A series of eight knocks interrupted her thoughts, and she looked up at the door for a moment. "Come in, Kid," she said, before looking back to her nails. She heard the door open, then close, and then heard even, almost solemn footsteps walk over. They stopped at the table, where the chair in front of her was pulled out, and then occupied by the young boy. She looked up, pulling her other hand out from below the fan to rest on top of the other in front of her. "So, what's up?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" "My father has given us an assignment," he said, looking the girl in the eyes./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" She smirked a little. "Is that all? What about it has you looking so serious? You never look this fervent about a simple assignment." She started to inspect the newly dried nails as she waited, and he sighed./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" "We're to interview the weapons here at the academy that were abused by their meister." At this, the girl froze, and the boy continued. "It's apparently been known for some time now that a male student as been finding female partners, and abusing each one in turn, in horrible ways. Now, as this is not the first time a weapon had been abused by its meister, we are to interview them all to get a physical description of the abuser, to be sure that it is the same one, and to try to get a motive as to why he does this."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Her gaze hardened. "Shouldn't your father be able to tell you who it is so you can get him without all the fuss? This seems like a lot of work to go though for this one guy."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" "It's not that simple. He's found a way to evade the system. He uses different names each time he addresses someone, and sticks with one per class. No one can keep tabs on him, and no one seems to be able to describe the same guy when they try to figure it out."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" She looked intently at him, and was about to say something when he interrupted. "He also seems to have found a new partner. He's had this one for some time, and it seems like she refuses to go for help. She may be too scared, or just be unable to for some reason. Whatever it is, though, she's going to be in serious danger if we can't get her out."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" She looked back down at the table, clenching her hands a bit, though being careful not to ruin her nails. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, he sighed and continued. "I need you to be the one to tell Patty." Her head snapped up, confusion written on her face. "She won't understand completely if I try to explain it to her, and she listens to you. You can get it through clearly, so she understands how serious this is. If we can't figure this out soon, she may be seriously injured or even killed, then he'd be free to move onto someone new, and the cycle can begin again. We need to get testimony as to what he has done, how many people he's done it to, and why. If possible, we should try to figure out who he is and how he's avoided us for so long."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" She continued to sit in silence, staring at the table. The boy reached forward and gently grasped her hands. "He will be caught, Liz. It may take a bit longer than any of us would like, but he will be caught."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" After a minute, she looked up. "Does Lord Death know who the girl is?"/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He nods. "My father has someone watching over her, though he wouldn't tell me who it was, for both their sakes'."/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" After a few seconds of silence, she nodded. Kid stood up, brushing her hair carefully with one hand before walking out. She continued to stare at the desk, breathing a little heavily with her eyes closed and hands clenched in her lap. After about ten minutes, she stood carefully, turning off her small fan and walking out the door, thinking about the best way to tell her sister./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"strongElsewhere in the city…/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" A white haired boy laid in bed, staring at the ceiling. His trademark sweatband rested on the table next to his bed, replaced, instead, by a simple black headband. Despite the late hour, he wore dark jeans and a tee shirt, his jacket hanging on a hook next to his door. His red eyes observed a spot above him, unmoving and unchanging in the hours that passed, before he sighed and closed his eyes, resting his forearm over them./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" His mind wandered to the events of late. Maka was already informed of the situation, and was about as upset about it as he was. She was, however, understanding of the way Lord Death wanted things done, and agreed that it was the best way to handle it until there was more information./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" Soul, however, was frustrated. He wanted to be able to do more, he wanted the girl to be free. While he held no major personal attachments to her, no one should have to suffer through an abusive relationship, especially when bound by such a connection as the one between meister and weapon. The thought made his pulse start to race, and he forced himself to calm down./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He sat up and stood, walking to his window and opening it, allowing for a cool breeze to flow through. He took a deep breath and hung his head out the window, feeling the general air of the night surrounding him. He looked up at the moon, watching a trail of blood start to trail its way slowly down its jaw./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" He smirked, realizing that he was literally watching time go by, and brought his head back in. He walked back over to his bed, sitting on the edge. He grabbed his mp3 player and inserted the earbuds, laying back as he turned it on. He scrolled through his music for a bit before making a selection, jazz soon filling his ears and washing away any troubling thought he was having. Sleep, he decided, was the best option at the moment, and, soon enough, he was drifting off into a restless sleep./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;"strongBack at the dorm of our heroine… (Unknown POV)/strong/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" /p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I stood at the window, watching the calm night turn dead as the last stragglers of the night found their homes. I opened the window and climbed out, gripping onto the ledge overhead and pulling myself up onto the roof. I sat at the edge for a minute before moving higher to the crest. I rested for a moment, my breath evening out as I looked up at the moon, my mind starting to wander./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" 'This is going to be fun," I thought, smiling. 'Though, it will take a lot of work. Those "friends" of her's are going to be a bit of a challenge, especially if she gets hurt again…I'll just have to make sure that she is physically okay.' I started to chuckle./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" 'However, no one can see mental damage. At least, they don't care enough to. I'll have to keep those sons of bitches distant. I'll build her trust in me again, and drive away anyone curious enough to try to help. She'll run to me when they all leave,' I thought, chuckling even more, 'Then, when I have all her faith, I'll crush her into the dust she is!'/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" I started to laugh, a deep, full laugh that rang out into the night, echoing off of the buildings and dissipating into the desert air./p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #2c3635; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.5px; background-color: #fffffa;" 'She's lasted for a while, I'll give her that, but worthless trash like that has to be thrown out eventually. I'd better keep an eye out for my next toy.' I laughed even louder at the thought of all the fun times to come, pure joy filling me as I calmed down and laid on the roof, staring at the moon. 'This will be a fun game, even if it is the last we share, dear (Y/N). Let's hope you make it a fun one.'/p 


End file.
